Welcome to the jungle
by Killer Ladybug
Summary: How did Brenner, Fuller and Minard get there positions at la clinica cruz del sur? Hints of future Brenton.


(I own nothing!)

Ben runs his hand through his hair for the millionth time that evening looking through dozens of applications. Narrowing it down to just three was going to be a pain in the ass. It didn't help that Ryan had once again run out on them.

"You two having any luck?" He groans.

"Nope. But this is the last time we put off picking the baby docs till last minute." Cole says sucking on an orange candy stick, sitting cross legged on the floor, a pile of folders by him.

"Under qualified, has too many harassment suits, over qualified, gone to prison since we got the application." As he picks them off he drops them on the floor with a thunk. "We'd have better luck spinning in a circle and randomly pointing."

"Yes, because we want incompetent morons running around." Zee says from her perch on Ben's desk.

"You having any luck, Loca?" Cole asks moving on to another pile.

"No…Wait, what about her?" Pulling out a file, she flips it open on the desk. "Mina Minard. Age 26. Rare and infectious diseases. She lost a patient a few months back and was thrown out of residency."

"So she screwed up, why would we want to hire her?" Cole says glancing up from the file on his lap.

"It's why she lost her patient. She was pulling twelve hour shifts at a local clinic on top of her eight hours at residency. She's tough." Zee says with a note of admiration in her voice. "We could use a doctor with that kind of commitment."

"But is she tough enough for the jungle?" Ben asks leaning back in his chair and sipping at some whiskey before going back to work.

"I guess we'll find out." Zee says laying the folder in the yes pile. "Well that's my pick. What about you two?"

"No." Ben says shifting through more files.

"Heh, listen to this one. It's from a plastic surgeon. Thomas Fuller. Age 27. Was written up several times for arriving to class hung-over." Otis says before something on the paper catches his eye. "He was also top of his class."

"You think we should risk it? We do need another trained surgeon." Zee says swinging her legs. "The only other one is deaf, not a good thing to be in the jungle." Ben sighs. The positions here were so low on the totem pole that everyone and their grandmother had applied, in one case literally.

"We take bigger risks every day and, if he screws up, he'll be gone in a few months anyway." Ben says.

"By the looks of him he'll be gone by the first day." Cole says dropping the file next to Mina's. "But hell, why not? We don't have anyone better. You have your eyes on anyone, Ben?"

"As of this moment? No. Aw, crap." He says as a pile of folders turns into a paper avalanche knocking his drink off the desk. Bending down to pick it up, he notices a file hidden under the table. Picking it up, he thumbs through it.

"What about her?" He says showing the folder to the other two.

"Hanna Baker?" Zee asks skeptically.

"Age 30. Says here that she has training in jungle medicine and has also worked in several clinics in northern Africa. She's perfect for the job." Ben says. "She's my pick. And I believe that makes all three new recruits. Time to hit the sack."

"One small problem." Ben turns to look at Zee who is looking over Hanna's file.

"What is it?" Ben says with a nasty feeling that his warm bed is going to remain empty tonight.

"You know how we get an update if any application info changes? Well Hanna was on the latest update. She's four months pregnant with twins." Ben groans.

"We have gone through every single application sent in." Cole says standing on wobbly legs from sitting too long.

"Well," Ben says standing, "I guess I'll have to go back through and look ag- Whoa!" Ben's foot slips and he braces himself on the desk. "What the?" Leaning down, he picks up the culprit of his near fall. It is a beat up folder that looked like it had seen better days. Flipping it open, Ben scanned through it.

"Listen to this: Lily Brenner. Age 28. Head of the ER. Took a year's leave from the hospital for personal reasons. She has good marks from both the dean of the hospital and her patients."

"You think she can survive out here? I mean she's been out of the game for a year. A plastic surgeon is one thing, but someone who hasn't practiced in a year?" Cole says shrugging.

"So she's a no?" Zee asks.

"I guess so." Ben drops the folder onto the no pile. "You guys go ahead on to bed, I'll go through these again, and see if there is anyone we missed." The other doctors bid him goodnight and shuffle off into the dark.

Hunkering down for a long night, Ben lays down on his cot surrounded by the hills and valleys of folders.

Three hours later he is nowhere nearer to finding his baby doc than when he started. It also doesn't help that every few seconds his eyes wander to the folder sitting on his desk.

He stares at said folder, as if it is the folder's fault for his problem. Turning back to the folder in his hand, he begins to read again. After he reads the same line about ten times he throws the folder across the room and stands up. Pacing the room, he stretches as once again the folder catches his eye.

Walking over to it he picks it up, cradling it in his hands. Flipping it open he begins to read.

_Name: Lily Brenner_

_Age: 28_

_Born: April 3, 1982_

_Blood type: AB+_

'Nothing special about her so far.' He thinks reading though the application. 'Just basic information.'

Then he gets to the last question on the page.

'Why do you want this position?' It was the most loaded question, since one wrong word and you wouldn't get the job. He looks down to see what she answered. It wasn't long like the rest of them or self-serving. It was just one little sentence.

'Why do you want this position? I want to start over.'

Dropping the folder on his desk, he stares at it, before placing it in the yes pile.

He walks over to the cot through the sea of rejected folders and, turning off the light, lies down.

"Who are you, Lily Brenner? And why do you want to start over?"

If she wanted to start over this was the place to do it.


End file.
